


Yeah, we can find love, just like that

by maxiswriting



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Insecure Lance, M/M, Mention of Panic Attack, Nightmares, There is very little angst actually, VLD Summer Exchange, late night swimming, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-15
Updated: 2017-08-15
Packaged: 2018-12-15 19:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11813040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxiswriting/pseuds/maxiswriting
Summary: In which the Paladins need a break and land for a few days on a planet where, for Lance's absolute delight, there is an ocean. A purple ocean with deep blue sand, but he'll take it.Also, maybe sneaking out in the middle of the night for a late night swim wasn't one of his brightest ideas, but in the end he certainly gets more than he bargained for.Not that he's complaining, mind you.





	Yeah, we can find love, just like that

**Author's Note:**

> This is my gift for [@oscensonata](http://oscensonata.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!  
> I managed to finish this just in time. Guys, you have no idea how much this made me sweat.  
> Just. Take it.
> 
> My [Tumblr](http://maishiwrites.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> My [@Twitter](https://twitter.com/uomichan)!

Their last mission hadn’t been an hard one per se. It had been pretty simple actually, just a few Galra ships getting too close to a planet they had freed just a few quintants before. They took care of it pretty quickly, not even needing to form Voltron as they flied flawlessly around the ships with an accuracy that could have been obtained only by endless hours of training and hard work as a team. Those Galras were gone in a matter of ticks.  
  
However, what really took its toll were the battles they had to fight before that one. They had freed two systems and answered at least five emergency beacons, fighting Galra fleet after Galra fleet without catching a breath or taking time to recover. And it was showing, both on the Paladins faces and the Castle itself. Some repairs needed to be done, and maybe they deserved a little break.  
  
That’s why Allura decided to set a course for planet To’ah, situated only a few galaxies away. It was beautiful seen from outer space, its atmosphere a constant swirl of blues and purples and every shade in between. The inhabitants were known to be powerful mages, maybe even more powerful than the druids. Apparently, the Galra had tried to take over the planet several times during the last ten thousand years, but never succeeded. The To’ahens were very protective of their home, and surely weren’t a force to be reckoned with.  
  
However, they welcomed the Castle and its Paladins with open arms, even offering their help in the repairs and throwing a party in their honour to celebrate the victories of the past and those yet to come. Obviously, everyone was happy for the much needed time away from intergalactic wars and “purple chinchillas with an insane obsession for power”, quoting Lance.  
  
Pidge was following the mechanics working on the Castle like a little puppy, asking question after question with their eyes sparkling with excitement.  
  
Hunk had disappeared in the kitchen after not even ten minutes from the start of the celebrations, his inner-cook more than curious about the specialities of the planet.  
  
Keith and Shiro, aka the Space Couple™ -title given to them by the whole team a few seconds after having announced their relationship-, were just glad for the chance to rest and relax for a few days, without having  to worry about the other getting into nasty situations after having acted without thinking or disappearing into thin air and giving everyone an heart attack.  
  
Lance? He was ecstatic. And not because these people had organized a celebration in their honour –even if it lacked a parade- or because the To’ahens were totally, legitimately gorgeous –seriously, that pale blue skin and those shining golden eyes should have been illegal-, but because there was an ocean just a few feet away from them. A. Mcfreaking. Ocean. With warm, deep blue sand and beautiful, violet water sparkling under the light of To’ah’s two suns.  
  
Lance had been basically vibrating in excitement since the moment he had laid eyes on it, huge grin already in place. The only thing keeping him from making a beeline for the beach as soon as they had landed was the knowledge that sprinting away without even sparing a glance to the greeting party waiting from them was probably a very rude thing to do, and Allura would probably kill him on the spot. He wanted to live, thank you very much. He was too young and beautiful to leave this world just yet.  
  
So Lance kept his mouth shut and his bubbling excitement in check, waiting patiently –more or less, the whole ‘patience yields focus’ was more Shiro’s thing than his honestly- for an opportunity to flee without causing some sort of diplomatic incident. He waited through the whole meeting with the King and Queen, shook a lot of hands and flirted with every cute To’ahen he was able to approach a the party, pointedly ignoring the twisting in his gut and the pang in his chest every time he saw Keith and Shiro talking or laughing and being all lovey-dovey together.  
Not that he wanted to do all those things –and so much more- with them.  
Not a chance.  
Nope.  
  
… God he really needed a swim.

* * *

  
The celebrations went on all day, full of laughter, music and food. It was fun, a good change of pace after the last battles they had had to endure. However, it also left them with little energy to spare, and when a young To’ahen approached the Paladins to guide them to their chambers for the night everyone had gladly followed.

Keith threw himself face-first on the large bed with a tired groan, pointedly ignoring Shiro’s  chuckling from behind him. Each one of them had been given a personal bedroom, but Keith had barely spared his a glance. Those bed were probably big enough for the whole team to sleep in if they tried, so space wasn’t a problem. Also, by now he was more than used to sleeping next to Shiro, so there was that. Even if sometimes, it felt like there was still something missing.

Keith felt the mattress shift and rolled on his back, turning his head to the side to meet the other’s amused expression. “What are you laughing at.”  
“Sorry.” Shiro said, not sounding apologetic at all. “Tired much?”  
“I’m ready to pass out for the next century or so, but that’s not the point.” Keith sat up abruptly, throwing his hands in the air and looking completely distraught. “Have you seen how cute Lance was in that suit? Have you? Or, I don’t know, let’s talk about that adorable look on his face every time he would look at the ocean.” He flopped down again. “That boy’s gonna be the death of me, I swear.”

“That’s… a little overdramatic, don’t you think?” Shiro pointed out, the side of his mouth twitching up despite his attempt to hide a smile. “Also, you forgot to point out how great his ass looked in those pants.” Keith groaned and hid his face behind his hands, frustrated beyond belief. “Shiro, I’m serious! You know I can’t deal with feelings.”  
“Oh, how could I forget? When I confessed you punched me in the face, ran out of the room and then came back after a few ticks, knocking me on the ground while kissing me like a starving man.”

“I wasn’t prepared!” Keith screeched, beet red, while Shiro stared at him with an unimpressed gaze. The red paladin let out another groan, grabbing a pillow and smacking it on his face. “I didn’t sign up for this.” He whined. Shiro sighed and moved to lie down next to him.

“Alright, I think we can both agree we are too tired to have this conversation right now. How about we go to sleep and talk about this tomorrow, when we’re both more awake and functioning?” Keith responded by yawning and curling on his side like a cat, mumbling his agreement before falling asleep almost instantly. Shiro’s expression softened, and he leaned towards him to leave a gentle kiss on the other’s temple.

“Goodnight Keith.” He murmured and closed his eyes, a little smile on his lips.

* * *

Two hours later, that smile was replaced by sharp breaths, pale sweating skin and a frightened gaze.

“Shiro, c’mon, breath with me.” Keith instructed, an hand on Shiro’s shoulder to ground him. “In, out. Yeah, just like that.”  
“There were- I was- you were-“  
“Just a nightmare.” Keith let his hand cover Shiro’s bigger one, intertwining their fingers. “I’m here, everyone is safe in their bedrooms, everything is alright. I promise.”  
It took a while, but finally Shiro calmed down completely. He still looked worn down, with his pale skin sticky with sweat and dark circles under his tired eyes, but his breath was calm and his gaze more focused. “Sorry I woke you up.”

Keith shrugged, flopping down on the mattress. “Don’t worry about it. You know I don’t sleep much anyway.” Also, he would have never left Shiro alone to deal with his nightmares, didn’t matter how many sleepless nights he had to endure in order to be sure the other would be alright.

They stayed silent for a while, just breathing and taking comfort from the other’s presence.  
“Since I don’t think I’ll be able to go to sleep for a while.” Shiro spoke up after a while, turning his head to look at Keith. “Wanna get out of here for a while? We could go check out the beach.”  
Keith hummed in agreement, sitting up and stretching his arms upwards with a yawn.

“It’s not a bad idea I guess.”

* * *

Lance had sneaked out as soon as he had been sure everybody was sleeping.

He had moved swiftly form an hallway to another, doing his best to remember the way outside while trying to be as silent as possible. It had took almost half an hour –those hallways and staircases all looked the same- but he had known it had been worth it as soon as his bare feet touched the sand.

Lance smiled and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the waves going back and forth and enjoying the feeling of the wind caressing his face and ruffling his hair. He grinned and stripped out of his clothes, throwing them on the sand and sprinting towards the water. An exhilarated laugh bubbled inside him, a rush of adrenaline and pure happiness he hadn’t felt in a very long while. He jumped in with a loud whoop, ignoring the fact that going headfirst into a body of water without knowing what dangers could be waiting for him in its depths was probably a real bad idea. Right now, he couldn’t care less. He felt free and for once, his insecurities and homesickness were brushed aside, leaving space for joy, laughter and pure euphoria.

He swam and splashed and laughed for what felt like a long time, enjoying the feeling of water surrounding his body. It was surely different from Earth, colour aside –there wasn’t any salt in the water and it tasted almost sweet, with an aftertaste of something he recognized but wasn’t able to put a name to- but it was still an ocean, and for now, Lance would take it.

When he finally calmed down he simply stood there, gaze fixed on the night sky and the magnificent spectacle of the stars reflecting in the water. It created a game of twinkling lights on the ocean’s surface, white mixing with deep purple in such a way that it felt almost ethereal. He stayed like that for a while, enjoying the complete silence around him.

If there hadn’t been so much silence, he wouldn’t have heard the distinct rumour of a branch snapping behind him of the following whispered swear. He jumped, startled, and turned around, hand going automatically towards his side to call for a bayard the wasn’t there.  
“Who’s the-!” Lance interrupted himself as soon as he laid eyes on the two figures standing on the shore, staring back at him with wide eyes. He felt his heart jump in his throat, seeing his two crushes –yes, he had a crush on them, he was mature enough to admit it at least to himself- look back at him under the faint light of the moon and the reflected twinkling of the stars.

“Keith? Shiro?”

* * *

It hadn’t been difficult to reach the beach.

Yeah, those corridors all looked the same, and they had to make sure to be as silent as possible so to not wake up anyone, but they managed to get out in the open without getting lost or attracting attention. As soon as they were outside and the fresh air of the night hit them, Keith felt Shiro relax beside him, the remaining tension from the nightmare leaving his body.

“Better?” he asked, intertwining their fingers and giving his hand a squeeze. Shiro nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. “I needed this.”  
Keith hummed, pulling his boyfriend forward. “C’mon, better get to the beach before somebody spots us.”

They walked in silence for a while, simply enjoying each other’s presence and the calm atmosphere of the night. They didn’t notice they weren’t alone until a laugh resonated unexpectedly in front of them. The two Paladins stopped on their tracks, realizing only in that moment they had reached the beach. They looked around, trying to identify the source of the laugh, until their eyes fell on the figure in front of them.

It was Lance, none of them had a single doubt on that. He wasn’t facing them, looking at the stars with the softest of smiles on his face. His posture was relaxed, peaceful, with droplets of water cascading from the nape of his neck on his back, barely illuminated by the faint light of the planet’s only moon.

He was beautiful. Ethereal, almost. They didn’t dare move or make a sound, scared to somehow break the bubble that seemed to have enveloped the three of them. God, how much they wanted him. If Lance would just let them, they would love him endlessly, covering him with all the attention and care he deserved. And boy, did he deserve the whole world.

Then Keith’s foot shifted, and the snapping of a branch broke the silence surrounding them. Keith muttered a curse under his breath, hoping against hope that Lance hadn’t heard him. But apparently somebody up there liked to mess with him, because Lance immediately jumped and turned around, eyes zeroing on them in a few instants. Keith saw his expression morph from startled to confused, recognizing them despite the almost lack of illumination.

“Keith? Shiro?” the boy called, approaching them. “What are you guys doing here?”  
Keith knew he should respond before Lance could get too suspicious, but the words kept remaining stuck in his throat. He felt like he might be gaping, staring at Lance’s bare torso with a far too familiar warmth creeping up on his neck and ears –he seriously hoped the light was faint enough to hide it, or the ground might as well open under his feet and swallow him whole.  
Thankfully, Shiro managed to save him before the situation could get too embarrassing.  
“We couldn’t sleep, so we decided to take a stroll on the beach.” He said, appearing calm and collected and giving Keith the time to collect himself.

Lance’s gaze fell on their intertwined fingers and for a moment, Keith could swear something had flashed in the boy’s eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and he found himself questioning if it was there at all.  
“Oh, I see.” Lance muttered, sounding almost disappointed.  He recovered quickly though, grinning at them and wiggling his eyebrows. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your romantic date, then. What are you two doing still here? Go enjoy your alone time!”

Now, it was common knowledge that Keith often acted on instinct. He was harsh, impulsive, and rarely listened to orders, preferring to follow his gut, even if it sent him diving headfirst into a fleet of Galra fighters. However, it was also true that his impulsivity made him act without thinking more often than not. Like in that moment, for example.

“Join us.” Those words were out of his mouth even before his brain could process what he had said. He saw Lance freeze on the spot, staring at him with a look of complete confusion on his face. “… Eh?”  
When Keith’s brain finally caught up with what was happening, his eyes widened in horror. “Shit! No, I meant- I didn’t-“  
“What Keith was trying to say.” Shiro spoke up, shutting him up with a pointed look. “Is that we were wondering if you would like to join us.” Bless Shiro and his ability to stay calm and keep Keith from scaring Lace off and therefore fucking up their chances with him.

Lance was staring at them, bright blue eyes going back and forth from Shiro’s calm expression to Keith’s impatient one. “Really?” He murmured, uncertain. Shiro nodded, smiling. “We would love if you did, actually.”

Lance didn’t know what to think. When he had sneaked out to go swimming in the middle of the night he wouldn’t have expected to meet anyone else. But there he was, with his two crushes standing in front of him, asking him to join them in their romantic stroll under the stars. It felt surreal, like a dream coming true. He felt hopeful. But he knew he couldn’t let his hopes up, because it would hurt too much when reality set in again and he realized how foolish it was of him to even just think somebody like them could love him. Why would they? He was useless. Replaceable. There wasn’t a place for him beside them.

“I-I’m sorry but, I think I’ll pass.” He forced out, trying to keep his voice steady. “I was about to go back anyway.” Lance walked past them with his eyes trained on the ground, ignoring the familiar sting in his eyes while trying to reach his clothes, but an hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. He turned around, meeting a pair of violet orbs looking worriedly back at him.

“Lance, is everything alright?” Oh quiznack, Keith was adorable with a concerned look on his face instead of the scowl everybody was used to. He had to get out of there before he said something he shouldn’t. “Yeah, don’t worry about it Mullet.” He assured, forcing himself to smile and hoping it looked natural enough to fool them. “I’m just tired.”

But of course it didn’t work on them. He saw Keith’s eyes squinting at him, his grip on Lance’s wrist tightening slightly. “Alright, what’s going on?”  
Lance’s eyes widened, panic settling in his gut. “I said it’s nothing Keith, let me go!” he tried to break free from his grip, but the other didn’t even budge. From the corner of his eye, Lance saw Shiro approaching the two of them.  
“Keith-”  
“No Shiro, don’t even start. I want to know what’s going on.”  
Shiro sighed. “So do I Keith, but you can’t force him to-”  
“I just want to understand! Why is he acting like this? Did we do something?”  
“Keith, this is not-”

“I like you!”  
The two boys stopped talking immediately, heads whipping around to look at Lance. He was keeping his eyes trained on the ground, with his arms hugging his torso. Keith hadn’t even realized he had let him go.  
“I- I like you guys.” Lance repeated, still not looking at them. “That’s why I didn’t want to come with you, alright? I didn’t want to get my hopes up. So please, stop fighting now.” Look at him. So pathetic,. Who knew what they were thinking now. They were probably pitying him, because how could he even think he had a chance with them? He had been so naïve, believing they could one day reciprocate his feelings and love him as much as he loved them.

Lance was so trapped inside his own head that he didn’t realize Keith and Shiro were approaching him until he felt two pair of arms, surrounding him and dragging him into one of the warmest hug he ever had. He blinked, utterly confused. “Uh…?”  
“We like you too.” Keith murmured, face hidden in the space between his shoulder and his neck.  
“We have for a while, actually. But we didn’t know how to approach you on the matter.” Shiro added, hand running absentmindedly in Lance’s damp hair. “We certainly hadn’t planned to do it like this, though.” He chuckled, looking down to him with one of the softest look Lance had ever seen on his face. Speechless, he turned  his head slightly, and saw the exact same expression mirrored on Keith’s face.

“R- Really?” he asked, trying his best to ignore the lump forming in his throat. Was he dreaming? He must me. There was no way it was really happening.  
But then he saw Keith and Shiro nod, without a single hesitation or second thought, and Lance was grinning like a madman even before his brain could process it. He let out a joyous whoop, an incredulous laugh escaping his lips, and hugged the other two with all the force he could muster.

Lance felt their laughter join his, resonating in the night around them.  
“This means we can call you our boyfriend now?” Keith asked, grin so big his facial muscles were starting to hurt. Lance found himself mirroring his expression, eyes glinting with mirth.  
“I must warn you though, I’m a difficult guy to please.” He purred, wiggling his eyebrows at his _boyfriends_ – god, they were really his boyfriends, it was real, he wasn’t dreaming. What did he ever do to luck out like that, he didn’t know, but sure as hell he wasn’t complaining in the slightlest.

Keith and Shiro looked at each other, before leaning in, perfectly synchronized, and planting a kiss on each one of his cheek. They grinned mischievously, watching Lance’s face become redder and redder by the second. Shiro chuckled, gently grabbing his boyfriends hands and intertwining their fingers.  
“I think we’ll manage.”


End file.
